Financing partners for architects.
Connect the design to a funding plan.
Give your client a clear next step for construction or development financing. Stonehaven reviews the project, identifies potential lender paths and coordinates the financing discussion with the client’s approval.
How can an architect help a client find project financing?
An architect can introduce the property owner or developer to a mortgage brokerage for a financing review while continuing to lead the design work. Stonehaven Lending arranges real estate financing through third-party lenders. We review the intended use, location, project stage, budget and requested amount, then discuss available options with the borrower.
This is useful when a client has a buildable idea but needs to understand the capital plan before committing to the next stage. An early conversation can identify questions to resolve; it does not replace a lender’s approval or make unfinished plans financeable.
Keep each professional’s role clear
- The architect: explains the design, current scope, drawing status and project milestones within the owner-architect agreement.
- The owner or developer: chooses whether to seek financing, supplies borrower information and remains responsible for the loan and project obligations.
- Stonehaven: organizes the financing scenario, compares available lender routes and explains the next information needed.
- The lender: makes the credit decision and sets conditions, documentation and disbursement requirements.
A financing introduction does not make the architect a mortgage originator, guarantor or representative authorized to accept loan terms for the client.
Choose the path that matches the client’s project
- Ground-up, spec or teardown construction: start with construction financing for architects to organize land, the build budget and draw timing.
- Multifamily or mixed-use development: use our development financing guide to connect site control, approvals, construction and the exit.
- Renovation for resale or investment: review fix-and-flip financing, including acquisition and the improvement scope.
- A client’s own home: start with residential lending. Owner-occupied home financing needs its own eligibility and consumer-lending review.
Residential service is available in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. Business-purpose commercial financing is reviewed nationwide, with availability varying by state and lender.
A practical introduction workflow
- Get the client’s permission. Confirm what project information may be shared and who should join the financing discussion.
- Send a short scenario. Include the property state, intended use, ownership status, project stage, estimated total cost, requested financing and target date.
- Separate known facts from estimates. Label preliminary construction pricing, projected rents and proposed approvals clearly.
- Bring the borrower into the review. Financial statements, identification and credit information belong in an appropriate secure process, not an architect’s public inquiry.
- Coordinate the next milestone. Identify whether the next useful step is budget refinement, a lender review, additional equity planning or progress on approvals.
Protect the client relationship
Share only information the client authorizes, and let the client choose their financing provider. For AIA members, the AIA Code of Ethics addresses confidentiality and conflicts of interest. Any professional responsibilities also depend on the agreement and applicable requirements.
This page offers a professional introduction process, with no referral payment offered. Federal RESPA rules restrict payments for referrals of covered mortgage settlement services. Do not assume that describing a project as commercial resolves every licensing or compensation question.
Questions architects ask before making an introduction
Can we discuss a concept before the client has final plans?
Yes. Label the design stage and the decisions still outstanding. A preliminary conversation can identify financing questions, but a lender may require further plans, approvals, pricing or borrower information before issuing usable terms.
Does the architect need to collect the client’s financial documents?
No. Begin with a project summary. The borrower can supply private financial information directly through the appropriate next step after an introduction.
Can architecture and engineering fees be part of the budget?
Include them as separate budget lines. Whether a lender accepts or reimburses a cost depends on its program, when the cost was incurred and its documentation. Early design work should not be undertaken on an assumption of financing.
What project sizes can we introduce?
Share the actual project and requested amount. Stonehaven reviews a broad range of real estate scenarios individually; size alone does not establish lender availability or approval.
Introduce an architectural project
Tell us your role, the property state, project stage and financing need. Start with your own contact details and a client-approved summary. We follow up by text.
No active project yet? Share your contact details and the types of projects your firm designs. Project figures can be left blank.
Use your own contact details. Start with a general project summary and obtain client permission before sharing their information. Keep client names, financial records and private documents out of this form.
For a client who will live in the home, use our residential inquiry.
Sources and editorial standards
These sources explain professional and referral considerations. They do not imply an AIA endorsement, a compensation arrangement or financing approval.
Updated September 20, 2026. Editorial standards · Meet the team